At Wits End w/ So-Called "Privacy Intrusion" Complaint

[Joe3874]

In looking for the Airbnb's executive leadership team's email information, I decided to also post here in case someone reading, with power at Airbnb, has some common sense. I am beyond frustrated right now and honestly -- Airbnb is really testing my professionalism and poise with this one.

I recently listed a second bedroom in my home, after the first being a smashing success (toot toot). I have made great money and had fascinating guests over the last two years, gaining Superhost status and even a "guest favorite" badge on my listing. 84 reviews, 4.92 stars. FOUR POINT NINE TWO STARS. Not a single complaint lodged against me.

After a few guests in the newly second bedroom listing, I'm looking at 4.8 stars.. I notice one night, on 7/25 around 1am, that all future dates are blocked off. I found that strange. That evening (almost 20 hours later) at 9:24pm Central I receive a message from Airbnb that there was a "potential privacy intrusion during a recent reservation" and that "Airbnb takes these types of reports seriously, and we have launched an investigation into whether our policy on privacy intrusions was violated." And then, they linked the privacy policy: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/3060 and informed me that a case manager would call me between 9pm & 11pm Eastern THREE DAYS LATER. All the while, this listing and my old one is suspended. I get a lot of next day/same day bookings, so I called Support, and no one can expedite and I have to wait for my case manager call. No other case managers, nope, can't help you. I message them, same thing. So, I wait it out, boggling my mind about who/what may have done it/happened.  

Here's the kicker, folks... Wait for it... THE INTRUSION WAS BECAUSE MY DOG PUSHED SOMEONE'S DOOR OPEN. I am not kidding you, my handsome hound Nate was the culprit. 

Yes, Airbnb shut my account down because my guest doesn't know how to close their door. Or, how to lock it and to be clear, it does do both.  Nate is in all shared space photos, and intentionally shown on the listing to be THE host with the most... It's clear he's here and a member of my household. Some people even book because of him! And Airbnb is over here telling me that I can't get anymore bookings because he pushed someone's door open?! He's a hound, he smells everything. So like, close the door.

In speaking with the case manager, I've concluded: there is zero sense of urgency, he might as well have been a robot, was following very black-and-white guidance, and had very little common sense. How does your dog nosing his way into someone's room shut down your account?! He also confirmed the guest gets their stay free if the case is adjudicated in their favor. Shocker. 

It's now 7/29, at almost midnight, I had my call with the case manager over 24 hours ago, and still no resolution. In asking for an ETR an hour or so ago, I was told "I apologize for the delay, we will work on summarizing this report today." In other words: a BIG FAT NO. I get the want for privacy, especially considering the recent press and policy change around cameras. But as my dog clearly had no nefarious intent, other than to eat someone's friggin' ritz crackers out of the trash, why on earth is this "complaint" being taken so seriously? 

Please, I beg of you Airbnb -- make this make sense and fix it. 

[Shelley159]

Hi @Joe3874 

I realise that your post is primarily about Airbnb support. If I may comment on the door: to avoid the dog opening it in future, you can install a "close arm" that pushes it shut - this helps a great deal on any door where some resistance is needed. Most of them have different settings, so you can choose how easy or difficult it will be to open the door.

[Elaine701]

@Shelley159 @Joe3874 

Good catch, Shelley. 

There's no dispute about AirBnb support. They're not much different than your electricity or internet provider. Often obtuse and robotic, they just follow the instructions on their cheat sheet. Fair or not, your only recourse is simply to avoid their involvement as best you can.

Here's the thing: We are all in the hospitality business. It involves hosting guests. In reality, many guests don't pay attention (they're on holiday or whatever - it's a break from having to think), yet can set expectations pretty high. And some will leverage any opportunity to get something more. 

So, if you're going to be in this business, one important consideration is to "guest proof" to the best of your abilities. Try to think like they do; You're on holiday, and don't want to think about anything or have any distractions or surprises. You just need to be able to see what button to press to do whatever it is you fancy. Like a light switch. And you paid for it, so you expect to get it (even if petty and unreasonable).

The "door closer" is a good example of  "guest proofing" (presuming there is some reason to prevent the door from opening - like your dog). 

Is it fair that they file an "invasion of privacy" complaint because your dog stuck his nose in the door? Absolutely not. But they'll do it. And you already know the consequences of it. Fair or not isn't in the question. It's just the nature of the beast. 

They'll eventually remove your suspension. It's not fair, but that's what they do. Try to avoid getting them involved in the first place. It's your only recourse.